10 Largest Lake In Indonesia

Indonesia Largest Lake – Do you know how many lakes in Indonesia? Based on the website that knows about everything, wikipedia, the country has at least 521 natural lakes . This doesn’t include man-made lakes.

In total, all lakes in Indonesia cover more than 21,000 square kilometers and hold more than 500 cubic meters. Very huge.

Those lakes have provided endless source for people who live in surrounding area where the lakes locate. They offer plenty benefits to Indonesians as water supply, irrigation, attractions, and many others.

In some areas and province where the roads are not yet established, the lakes play important and critical roles to act as “main access” from one place to another. Those roles are still carried by many of lakes until now. The lakes function also as tourist attraction that provide job opportunity for thousand people.

Some of the lakes are big and deep. Many of them have a depth more than 200 meters and at least three lakes are listed into 20 deepest lake in the world.

So, this article is to let you know the 10 largest lake in Indonesia. Here is the list.

10 Largest Lake In Indonesia

1) Toba Lake

Toba Lake

Toba Lake is the most famous and largest in Indonesia. The lake is located in the province of North Sumatra. It has a size of 1,130 km2 area. This lake is a volcanic lake that is formed by volcanic activity.

This lake has a depth of 529 m, one of the deepest in Indonesia but not the number #1. It is the 2nd deepest lake in Indonesia.

The lake has an island in the middle, Samosir Island.

There is a folklore, a famous one, about the lake creation. It has been told from one generation to generation.

2) Towuti Lake

Towuti Lake

Towuti Lake location is in South Sulawesi, East Luwu , Towuti District. Its name is corresponded with the region.

The size of this lake is 561.1 km2 with a depth of 203 m. This lake is a tectonic lake formed by the decline in face of the earth because of the shift / fracture

The administration of Lake Towuti are under the Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA) South Sulawesi, under the Ministry of Forestry Republic of Indonesia.

3) Poso Lake

Poso Lake

The 3rd rank of Indonesia largest lake is Poso Lake. It is located in Central Sulawesi province.

It has a measurement of 323.2 km2 and a depth of 450 m. The lake is the third in Indonesia deepest lake under Toba Lake.

Poso Lake is a tectonic lake.

This lake is one of well known and favorite tourist areas in Central Sulawesi. There are many establishments surrounding the lake with a focus for tourism.

4) Sentarum Lake

Sentarum Lake

Sentarum lake has a measurement of 275 km2. Its depth is only about 8 m differ, much shallower than other lakes.

The lake is located in West Kalimantan is entered as a national park since 1999.

5) Matano Lake

Towuti lake is not the largest lake in Indonesia but it is the deepest. The deepest point of the lake is 590 m.

This lake is one of the Nature Park in South Sulawesi province.

6) Jempang Lake

Jempang Lake

Jempang is located in the province of East Kalimantan.

One of the biggest lake in Indonesia, measuring an area of 150 km² . It is quite shallow with a depth of only 6 m shallower than the lake of Sentarum. It is not tectonic but a floodplain lake similar to Lake of Sentarum.

7. Paniai Lake

Paniai Lake

The next lake is Lake Paniai located in Papua province, precisely in Paniai District. The size of the extent of 145 km². It is a tectonic lake with a depth of 50 m.

8) Rombebai Lake

Another one is still in Papua province, Rombebai lake. It has with an area of 137.49 km2. Quite different from Lake Paniai, this lake are formed by rivers that flood and cover the land, which generally is mud and sand (floodplain).

9) Tempe Lake

Tempe Lake

Do you know Tempe, Indonesia traditional food made from soybeans? The next lake has named after the food. Tempe Lake.

Tempe Lake is a tectonic lake in the area of South Sulawesi province. The is the shallowest among other lakes mentioned in this list with only 5m depth. However, the lake is quite vast with 130 km2 size.

The lake has also inhabitants living on the lake surface. They live in stilt houses.

10) Semayang Lake

Semayang Lake

The last one on the list is Semayang Lake, East Kalimantan. With the size of 130 km2 the lake rank is the 10th in Indonesia largest lake

This lake is a lake floodplain.

What unique in the lake is a floating village formed by stilt houses. Inhabitants living in the houses travel day by day using boats. Nobody has cars or two wheeler.